Jane had hung the Chanel gown up on her wardrobe door so that the creases in the spiral silk and lace frills of the skirt would drop out. She took the gown off the hanger and stepped into it. There was no way she was going to be able to do up all the buttons herself. Stanley really would have to help her when he arrived.
Crowley had four teams of undercover officers at Baker Street station, on the platforms and outside in the street. Also in position was a surveillance van with a driver, and two officers inside. They had all been issued with recent surveillance photos of Natalie Wilde, taken when she had brought the groceries back to her flat before vanishing. Their orders were to arrest her on sight and get her into the van to be driven to Scotland Yard for an immediate interview with DCI Crowley.
Two more officers were on duty across the road from Tennison’s flat, just in case their target somehow managed to avoid arrest. All officers were in radio contact and by four fifteen everyone was in position. Crowley remained at the Yard with DCI Church, waiting for the outcome. Both men had brought in their evening suits and shirts for the dinner dance that night.
At four twenty Tennison’s doorbell rang. She looked through the window and saw that it was Stanley, although she had to look twice as he was wearing a purple velvet dinner suit with a frilled shirt and a velvet bow tie. His usually greasy hair was tied back in a ponytail. She buzzed him in and opened her front door as he headed up the stairs.
‘You look very smart,’ Jane said, as he joined her.
‘Thank you… The suit belongs to my brother-in-law, and my wife had it altered to fit me — trousers shortened and the waistcoat made to measure. The shirt’s mine, and the cufflinks were my dad’s.’
He displayed one of the large gold and onyx cufflinks, then looked up.
‘What?’ he said. ‘You don’t like them?’
‘I just find that I don’t really like you.’
‘Ah, well… it takes all sorts.’
‘I trusted you, Stanley. The other night, with the Vice Squad, you said that you would do what you could to look out for me with DCI Church.’
Stanley made a hissing sound through his teeth.
‘Yeah, I know what I said. Can we go and sit down in the kitchen for a minute?’
Jane reluctantly followed him. He poured some water into the kettle and switched it on, then fetched a box of teabags from the cupboard and a bottle of milk from the fridge.
‘You’re making yourself at home…’
‘I’ll tell you what I’m doing, Jane, I’m trying to relax enough to talk to you seriously. I want you to understand why I had to inform DCI Jimmy Church of the screw-up with the Vice Squad. D’you take sugar?’
Jane perched on the stool beside him. ‘No, I don’t.’
‘I need to go further back, Jane… Maybe you don’t know this, but your old boss at Bow Street Station kind of twisted Jimmy’s arm to bring you in… I know you have ambitions, farcical as they may be, to get into the Sweeney, but Jimmy agreed to take you on in the Dip Squad because we might be able to use a female officer.’
Jane didn’t interrupt as the kettle boiled and Stanley made the tea.
‘So, first thing… After, I admit, a brief training, we have WDC Tennison working on the Underground. We had a major suspect, a man already wanted for assault and handling stolen property — Andres Hernandez.’
Jane said nothing. Stanley could hardly look at her.
‘First day up, Tennison, you almost get pushed under a bloody train, we lose our main suspect, but we bag Miguel Hernandez and the yob in the big leather coat. I have to give it to you that the poor joker who had his wallet lifted gave you a description of Regina Hernandez.’
Jane nodded. ‘I know that, Stanley. Until then, nobody on the team knew there was a girl involved. It was only when we were questioning Miguel — when I spoke to him in Spanish, remember — that he admitted that Regina was his sister.’
Stanley poured the tea. ‘Yes, yes, yes… we know that. Through Miguel we get access to the rundown flat they were living in—’
‘— and you arrest Andres Hernandez,’ Jane interjected.
‘Yes, yes… And we take Regina, who was being sexually abused…’
‘She was being RAPED!’ Jane exclaimed. ‘She was fifteen years old and terrified! I had to take her to be examined—’
‘Shut up, and listen to me! As a consequence of raiding the Portobello flat we discovered fourteen passports belonging to underage girls from Colombia.’
Stanley pointed his finger at Jane.
‘At this time we were instructed, by the guv, that we were no longer running with this case and that we were handing it over to the Vice Squad… Do you recall him saying that?’
Jane shrugged. ‘Yes, I do. But we were told that Regina would most likely not go to trial and that someone at the Embassy would arrange for a safe place for her to stay.’
Stanley raised his hand. ‘Please — just let me take this in order!’
Jane turned away and sipped her tea.
‘The next thing we have is WDC Tennison on the front page of the tabloids, involved in the horror of the bomb blast at Covent Garden underground station. Whether you were or were not aware of photographers being there is another matter… What is important, obviously even more so because of what’s going down today, is that you are possibly a vital witness to the bomber. Have you followed everything so far, Jane?’
‘Yes,’ Jane said resentfully. ‘I am following you perfectly well, Stanley. I’m just not sure why you feel it is necessary for you to go into all this detail?’
‘Because you bloody need to know the details… The next thing is that you take it upon yourself to follow Regina Hernandez, who you spot as a passenger in a car that we later discover is a courtesy vehicle for the Playboy Club in Park Lane.’
Stanley went on to say that he was aware that this information had been passed on to the Vice Squad and they immediately acted on it. The reality was that they were already focusing on Andres Hernandez.
‘After that you were told, again, that the Vice Squad were handling the situation and that it was not the Dip Squad’s territory.’
‘She was wearing a mini skirt, stiletto shoes, and her breasts were hanging out of a skimpy top! We were supposed to be protecting her, Stanley!’ Jane felt her anger rising.
‘Shut up! Your little fifteen-year-old isn’t as naive as you think she is. She was brought in for questioning and agreed to lead the Vice Squad to two further establishments that this Andres bastard runs — one in Beak Street and the other in Greek Street. On the night they’ve organised a raid, our innocent little Regina goes walkabout… so, as they need her to give evidence against Andres Hernandez, they go out looking for her. WDC Tennison, in the middle of the red-light district with no backup, attempts a street arrest of Regina Hernandez, completely unaware that the guy who had stopped to talk to her was Vice Squad. And Regina, our witness, runs off — vanishes.’
Jane felt her cheeks flush.
Stanley rolled a cigarette. ‘I know what I said to you, Jane… but you had yet again ignored orders and if DCI Church found out you would have been in dire trouble — so my intention was to dig you out of the shit. However, the following morning, I discover that your flatmate has been arrested. What the fuck do you expect me to do? When I was told, I thought you were a bloody liability! NOW it turns out that your friend from training school is a wrong ’un and the major suspect!’
‘You arsehole, Stanley!’ Jane was really angry now. ‘How dare you suggest I was in some way complicit with what happened? Tell me, can you honestly say, hand on heart, that Natalie Wilde wouldn’t have fooled you?’
‘That’s irrelevant,’ snapped Stanley. ‘What’s relevant is that if, via Natalie Wilde, the bomb squad can identify the bomber, you’ll be hanging on to your career by your fingernails — but at least you might still have one.’